Quoting Shawn Highfield to Ruth Haffly <=-

cooking Indian food

You need to invest in a lot of spices. Other then that it's not
difficult once you have the ingredients.

Most kitchen pantries are already going to have onions, fresh
garlic, ginger root, lentils, beans and basmati rice along with
powdered mustard, cumin, coriander, cinnamon bark (probably cassia
and not true cinnamon), nutmeg, cloves, black pepper and a number of
fresh, dried and ground chilies.

It's easy to find turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds,
mace and coconut milk in any supermarket.

With a little looking around fenugreek leaves, Carom (Ajwain)
Amchoor (sour mango power) and star anise can be found. I can get
all of these in Yellowknife.

What I can't get locally is tej patta leaves so I substitute a bay
leaf plus a little cassia or cinnamon bark, or whole cloves.

Also I can't get curry leaves here, just in Edmonton, so I use bay
leaves plus one of lemon grass (available locally these days), lemon
balm (we grow our own), Makrut lime (known as Kaffir lime in previous unenlightened times) leaves from Edmonton, lemon basil (again, we
grow our own) or in a pinch lemon or lime zest.

And I make my own curry powders and garam masala mixtures.


Cheers

Jim


... When it comes to fried snack food, Indian cooks are tough to beat.

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JIM WELLER wrote to SHAWN HIGHFIELD <=-

Also I can't get curry leaves here, just in Edmonton, so I use bay

We have so many speciality grocers now it's no issue anymore.

And I make my own curry powders and garam masala mixtures.

I do as well because of the whole gluten free bit.

Shawn

... Never drink black coffee at lunch. It will keep you awake in the afternoo

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Quoting Shawn Highfield to Jim Weller <=-

I make my own curry powders and garam masala mixtures.

I do as well because of the whole gluten free bit.

You'd think boughten ones would be naturally gluten free unless they
are adulterating expensive spices with cheap powdered grain products!

Here's a really simple one with few ingredients. Fancier ones to
follow.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Bengali Garam Masala
Categories: Indian, Spice, Mix
Yield: 1 small batch

1 ts Ground Cloves
1 ts Cumin Seed; ground
3 ts Cardamom Seed; ground
3 ts Ground Cinnamon

Store mixture in a tightly sealed container.

MMMMM

Cheers

Jim


... We have all moved toward things spicier and more diverse

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JIM WELLER wrote to SHAWN HIGHFIELD <=-

You'd think boughten ones would be naturally gluten free unless they
are adulterating expensive spices with cheap powdered grain products!

You would be surprised how many things have wheat flour in them that
shouldn't. Once we started checking the labels... it's crazy.

Shawn

... Make no little plans. They have no Magic to stir Men's blood.

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Quoting Shawn Highfield to Jim Weller <=-

You'd think boughten ones would be naturally gluten free unless they
are adulterating expensive spices with cheap powdered grain products!

You would be surprised how many things have wheat flour in them that shouldn't. Once we started checking the labels... it's crazy.

I looked at a small handful of Loblaws products on line (they always
include a full ingredient lsit) and they all seemed OK.

But having said that I do appreciate your caution.

What do you do for pizza crust? Alternative flours or maybe mashed
cauliflower.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Grilled Zucchini, Squash, Tomato Pizza with Fried Garlic
Categories: Vegetarian, Pizza, Grill, Sauces
Yield: 8 Servings

3 tb Olive oil
5 Cloves garlic; minced
2 Ten-inch long zucchini; cut
Lengthwise into 1/4-inch
-strips
3 md Yellow summer squashes; cut
Lengthwise into 1/4-inch
-strips
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Batch basic pizza dough or
2 x 12inch prebaked pizza crusts
2 c Tomato sauce
4 Plum tomatoes;
-cut lengthwise into
1/4 -inch slices
1 tb minced fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven, with a baking stone or baking sheet inside, to
500 F. Prepare and stretch out dough (as described in dough
recipe) to make two 12-inch pizzas. Cover pizzas with a clean
dishcloth and let rise until soft and slightly puffy (10 to 20
minutes).

Heat oil in a small skillet. Fry garlic over medium heat for 1
minute or until golden brown. Drain the garlic in a strainer over
a bowl, reserving oil. Blot garlic pieces dry with a paper towel
to keep them from getting soggy.

Preheat a barbecue grill or broiler to high. Lightly brush the
zucchini and squash slices with garlic oil (2 to 3 teaspoons) and
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables over high heat
until lightly charred (3 to 5 minutes per side). Transfer to a
platter and cool.

Spread tomato sauce on top of crusts. Arrange the zucchini,
squash, and tomato slices in rows, alternating colors. Sprinkle
with rosemary, fried garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle
a little of the remaining garlic oil over the vegetables; use the
rest to brush the edges of the pizzas.

Slide pizzas onto the baking stone or preheated baking sheet. Bake
until the crust is puffy and nicely browned (6 to 8 minutes),
turning as needed for even baking.

NOTES: You don't need cheese because the garlic provides so much
flavor.-- Steve

Recipe by: Steven Raichlen, article at www.newchoices.com

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim

... You can buy organic gluten-free water at Whole Foods apparently.

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JIM WELLER wrote to SHAWN HIGHFIELD <=-

What do you do for pizza crust? Alternative flours or maybe mashed cauliflower.

My go-to is the Bob's 1-1 GF flour. Can follow regular recipes as
it is a 1-1 replacment for regular AP flour. I'm in the woods today
or I would post my pizza crust recipe that we all like. (including me
and I can eat the real stuff!)

Shawn


... A man does not look behind the door unless he has stood there himself.

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Quoting Shawn Highfield to Jim Weller <=-

What do you do for pizza crust?

My go-to is the Bob's 1-1 GF flour. Can follow regular recipes
as it is a 1-1 replacment for regular AP flour.

I am familiar with Bob's Red Mill grains, just never noticed that
one. Because his small packages of organic flours and seeds are
so expensive I only go to that rack in a pinch when I want
something that's not available in the regular baking aisle.

Speaking of economy, lately I've been getting my cornmeal, rice,
certain spices, peas, beans and lentils from the Indian aisle and my
sardines from the Filipino section of the store.

Those other garam masala recipes I mentioned a couple of days ago:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Basic Garam Masala and Variations
Categories: Spice, Mix, Indian
Yield: 1 batch

2 Cinnamon sticks
3 Bay leaves
40 g (1 1/2 oz) cumin seeds
25 g (1 oz) coriander seeds
20 g (3/4 oz) green or black
Cardamom seeds
20 g (3/4 oz) black peppercorns
15 g (1/2 oz) cloves
15 g (1/2 oz) ground mace

This is a version of the most common type of garam masala used
throughout Uttar Pradesh and the Punjab, which goes well with
onion-based sauces for meats and poultry. It is a spicy, pungent
blend. Change the proportions to suit your taste and the dish.

Break the cinnamon sticks into pieces. Crumble the bay leaves.
Heat a heavy frying pan and after 2-3 minutes put in the whole
spices. Dry roast over a medium heat until the color darkens,
stirring or shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Leave
to cool, then grind and blend with the mace. In an airtight
container, the mixture will keep for 3-4 months.

To make a mild and subtle Moghul Masala, use only green
cardamoms, cinnamon, black peppercorns, mace and a few cloves.

For a hot Gujerati Masala, add sesame seeds, fennel seeds, ajowan
seeds and chilies.

For a mildish Kashmiri Masala, use black cumin seeds, green
cardamoms, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, mace, and add a
little grated nutmeg.

For a hot Parsi Dhansak Masala, add fenugreek seeds, mustard
seeds, chilies and ground turmeric, and double the amount of
coriander seeds.

Source: Jill Norman "The Complete Book of Spices"
From: Peggy Morgan

MMMMM

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Garam Masala Spice Blend
Categories: Spice, Indian, Chilies, Mix
Yield: 1/2 cup

1 tb Coriander; ground
1 tb Cumin; ground
1 tb Fresh ground black pepper
1 tb Cayenne pepper; ground
1 tb Fennel seeds; ground
1 tb Ginger; ground
1 tb Cardamom; ground
1 ts Cloves; ground
1 tb Nutmeg; ground

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Cover and store at room
temperature for up to 1 month.

Recipe By: Ron West

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim


... They don't use chillies as a spice; they eat them like vegetables!

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JIM WELLER wrote to SHAWN HIGHFIELD <=-

I am familiar with Bob's Red Mill grains, just never noticed that
one. Because his small packages of organic flours and seeds are
so expensive I only go to that rack in a pinch when I want
something that's not available in the regular baking aisle.

They are quite expensive.

Speaking of economy, lately I've been getting my cornmeal, rice,
certain spices, peas, beans and lentils from the Indian aisle and my sardines from the Filipino section of the store.

We get rice from the asian store downstairs, and the cornmeal is cheap
at no frills. Sardines also downstairs, different brands from europe but
much cleaner then dirty old brunswick.

Shawn

... If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.

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